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Warner Park Cricket Grounds

48000Warner Park Sporting Complex, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis

With a capacity of less than 10,000 Warner Park Cricket Ground is a small but perfectly-formed oval in the West Indies. But when you realise that the population of St Kitts’ is just 35,000 that really does sound impressive. Warner Park was upgraded with help from the Taiwanese government in time for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It played host to a series of mismatches between test giants Australia and South Africa on one side and minnows Scotland and the Netherlands on the other. Australia’s lowest score in 50-over competition at Warner Park was 330. The stadium has hosted several CPL games and finals and has hosted England warm-up matches on more than one occasion.

The Greatest West Indian Cricketers of all Time – Malcolm Marshall

The most prominent St Kittitian cricketer of recent times is the Millfield-educated opener, Kieran Powell. Only 22, he’s had little time to make an impact. So we’ve delved back into the heyday of Windies cricket and found a colossus of Caribbean cricket.

When Malcolm Marshall died at the age of 41 in 1999 it prompted a worldwide outpouring of grief. At his funeral, the coffin was carried by five West Indian cricketing captains. Barbados went into official mourning.

Marshall typified the fearsome pace of the 1970s and 80s Windies bowling line-up. Belying his height – six inches shorter than the average fast bowler – he is regarded as one of the finest and fastest pacemen ever. With a test bowling average of 20.94, he ranks highly compared to others who have taken 200 or more wickets. His bowling skill and dexterity helped cement the Windies’ reputation as the leading cricket team of the era.

Brian Lara described the moment he faced Marshall in 1988. ‘I was scared, my heart was pumping and I was out caught down the leg side first ball. As he went past me with his hands in the air he stopped and touched me on the shoulder and said ‘Tough luck!’ That was the first time I had got close to him.’

A hero of West Indian and world cricket, Malcolm Marshall is commemorated in the trophy presented to the leading wicket-taker in every England v West Indies Test series.